Culture

The Two Main Ingredients to Creating a Killer Culture

I may not be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but I am the CEO of my home, and my own network marketing business. I don’t own the company, but I am the leader of my team and I am responsible for the culture that exists within it. And I am here to tell you that culture is everything.

Good culture doesn’t happen by accident, it’s by design. Without intentionally developing and implementing a specific culture, the resulting work environment can vary from mediocre to catastrophic.

The corporate landscape has transformed big-time over the past decade, and it will no doubt continue to change. It’s now a rarity for people to put up with a toxic work environment or stick with the same company for years until retirement. There are more entrepreneurs, flextime, side-hustles, and freelance gigs available than ever. Quality of life trumps everything. And business owners who embrace that, like the Good Life Gals, are the new norm.

So if you are in it to win it, positive corporate culture is the path to building a thriving organization.

So what’s the secret sauce to creating a kick-ass culture?

Here are the top two desirables:

Trust is #1.
The word “trust” is so often used it can seem like a cliché, but when considered in terms of corporate culture and financial advantage, the concept is anything but average. When employees have trust for their leaders and for their colleagues, magic happens. Money magic. In Stephen M.R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust he explains the financial impact in terms of a simple formula:

↓Trust = ↓Speed ↑ Cost

The opposite is also true: ↑Trust = ↑Speed ↓Cost

Think about it. Have you ever been in a relationship, business or otherwise, when you trusted someone? Did you think twice about what they said or did? Did you act quickly on their word? How about a relationship where you mistrusted someone? Did you feel the need to verify their statements? Were you suspicious of their actions and had to think twice? Covey goes one step further and explains trust in terms of dividends. He says, “When trust is high, the dividend you receive is like a performance multiplier, elevating and improving every dimension of your organization and your life.”

The #2 most desirable cultural component is embracing failure. And it’s tied closely with trust. Many companies understand employees must have the freedom to try new things in order to grow, and some will say they support trial and error, but there is a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) undercurrent of negativity when failure actually occurs. In terms of culture, organizations like Zappos, which encourage and foster employee innovation, are amongst the ones who come out on top.

I’ve spoken at leadership events about the power of corporate culture and how striking the right balance can make or break an organization. Embracing ideas, innovation, and yes, even missteps are a means of fostering success.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is another CEO known for a killer culture that embraces failure in a trustworthy environment. He says, “…You’re still going to be wrong nine times out of ten. We all know if you swing for the fences, you’re going to strike out a lot, but you’re also going to hit some home runs.”

A mentor, coach, and network marketing leader, Amy specializes in helping individuals achieve their potential through personalized attention, training and support. Amy is an expert in teambuilding, public speaking, and corporate training. or visitwww.amybiederwolf.com